Took A Spin On The New Bike Lane

As I posted on BFR, we have some new bike lanes in Richardson. I didn’t get a chance to ride one of them (south direction) until this morning. Like with the other bike lanes in town (posted here and here), we have to share them with parked cars. It’s not a perfect situation, but at least the city recognizes that there are different types of riders in town and makes efforts to accommodate them.

These lanes also help reduce traffic speeds on some of Richardson’s busy neighborhood roads.

Here’s a really shaky video of my ride (sorry I don’t have a proper camera mount):

Are you certain that is really a designated “bike lane?” You’ll note that the sign calls it a “Bike Route.” One big difference is that if it’s a “lane,” you must stay in it to be legal even if you’re riding immediately within the door zone of parked cars. If, on the other hand, it’s a “route,” you can use your discretion and legally avoid hazards.

I think the city recognized the different types of riders on the streets, based on these words from their site:

Types of Bicycle Users
There are several types of bicycle users and it is understood that some avid bicyclists do not like bike lanes. The City’s goal in providing an overall Bicycle Route Plan is to accommodate all types of users. Some recreational users may prefer to use trails in the City’s Parks. Vehicular bicyclists may prefer to commute on arterial streets and do not want their “right” to occupy any travel lane jeopardized by having bike lanes. The City will also be implementing “Share the Road” type signs on Renner Road where hundreds of cyclists travel many evenings and weekends despite the higher speeds and traffic volumes. On collector roadways and residential streets we may simply provide a Bike Route sign with or without a dedicated lane.

Bicyclist’s Rights
The Texas Transportation Code states that “A person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle”. To summarize the legal code: bicycles have the right to ride on public roadways because they are deemed a legitimate transportation vehicle by legislature. The City does not have the authority to restrict bicycles from local roadways, but TxDOT may restrict them from certain limited access highways. Below are a few links to the Texas Transportation Code that deals with bicycle operations.

I give the city props on two counts: To actually acknowledge the reality that cars will park in bike lanes (it is legal even if it doesn’t say so, according to a cyclist and city councilman I know who has looked into the statutes), and the words on their web page acknowledging different cycling types.